Your struggle is your blessing

A close friend is battling with cancer. With no prior indications, it even came as a surprise to his doctor. He is one of the healthiest people I know. In fact, he has been a top competitor in Judo, Wrestling and Jiu Jitsu. His eating habits match his life-long commitment to his conditioning and he is the last person anyone thought would be battling through this. Yet, he looks at it as a blessing. In fact, the timing couldn’t be better and he told me that it’s been an answer to his prayers.

He has been very successful in life and has used that success to bless others. This past year, he divested himself from his business. Then, he settled an inherited estate. Now, his only commitments are to his wife, his Jiu Jitsu students and his dog. It seemed like everything was operating on all cylinders, except for one thing. He is deeply religious, and his prayer had been to spend more time with God. Now, there isn’t a moment that goes by that he isn’t reaching out for God’s strength.

His battle with cancer is exactly what he needed to start looking up more. He told me that God doesn’t promise to get us through everything, but to be with us on the journey. Instead of relying on ourselves, we should seek God for our strength. This occurs when we don’t have the strength to get through something on our own. He explained that our challenges make us stronger in our faith, so we should be grateful for them.

Seriously! He actually said that he will either end up healthy or end up in heaven. Either result is great with him.

Whether you are a person of faith or not, there is a tremendous lesson in my friend’s attitude. If we look at our struggles as a detriment, they will be. But, if we look at our struggles as a blessing, they will be. Either way, it’s our choice. My vote is that we choose to be blessed.